Board Announces Forum on Auditing in the Small Business Environment

Washington, D.C., Nov. 11, 2004

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The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board today announced a new initiative to bring important information concerning the PCAOB to small business communities. The Forum on Auditing in the Small Business Environment is an invitation-only program for registered accounting firms and public companies in the small business community to learn more about the work of the Board, specifically the PCAOB inspections process and the impact of new auditing standards.

The first forum will be held in Costa Mesa, California, on Tuesday, November 30, and Wednesday, December 1, 2004. The two day program will be hosted by Board member Kayla Gillan and staff from the offices of inspections and standards-setting. The November 30th session will focus on educating smaller registered accounting firms about the Board’s work, while the December 1st session will concentrate on PCAOB issues impacting audit committees at smaller public companies. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn continuing professional education credits.

Invited participants are auditors from registered accounting firms with fewer than 20 issuer clients and the members of audit committees of smaller public companies. The program is limited to those groups in the small business environment that are most directly impacted by the Board’s oversight responsibilities. The goal of such a format is to ensure that there is ample opportunity for discussion of PCAOB issues facing small business communities between representatives of this sector and Board members and its staff.

In 2005, the Board plans to hold nine additional forums in locations in Texas, Northern California, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida and Massachusetts. For more information about these events please visit the Forum on Auditing in the Small Business Environment section of our Web site.